Article of footwear with hinged upper for use by person with constrained physical movement

ABSTRACT

An article of footwear that offers an easy opening upper to allow the footwear to be easily placed on or off a wearer&#39;s foot is disclosed. The upper includes a flap that is positionable between open and closed positions. The entire foot receiving portion of the footwear is exposed with the flap portion in the open position. The wearer placed his or her foot within the foot receiving portion, without obstruction, and then moves the flap portion in the closed position, preferably with a slide fastener, thereby securing the wearer&#39;s foot within the article of footwear.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/164,515, entitled “Article of Footwear with Hinged Upper,” filed May20, 2015, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety forall purposes.

BACKGROUND

Articles of footwear generally include two primary elements, an upperand a sole structure. The upper is typically formed from one or more ofa variety of material elements (e.g., textiles, foam, leather, orsynthetic leather) that are stitched or adhesively bonded together toform a void on the interior of the footwear for a comfortable and securefit. An ankle opening through the material elements provides access tothe void, thereby facilitating entry and removal of the foot from thevoid. Alternatively, the upper can include a forefoot strap that is heldin place with a toe stay or can include one or more straps that encirclethe wearer's foot; footwear having these structures are collectivelyreferred to herein as sandals.

The sole structure is located adjacent to a lower portion of the upperand is generally positioned between the foot and the ground. In somearticles of footwear, the sole structure generally incorporates aninsole, a midsole, and an outsole. The insole, which may be locatedwithin the void and adjacent to a lower surface of the void, is a thincompressible member that enhances footwear user's comfort. The midsole,which may be secured to a lower surface of the upper extending downwardsfrom the upper, forms a middle layer of the sole structure. In additionto attenuating ground reaction forces (i.e., providing cushioning forthe foot), the midsole may limit foot motions and/or impart addedstability to the footwear. The outsole, which may be secured to a lowersurface of the midsole, forms the ground-contacting portion of thefootwear and is usually fashioned from a durable and wear-resistantmaterial hat includes texturing to improve traction.

Generally, the midsole is the primary source of cushioning for thearticle of footwear, extending through the length and width of thefootwear. It is typically formed from a foamed polymer material, such aspolyurethane or ethyl-vinyl-acetate. Midsoles tend to be designed tooptimize support and cushioning comfort for a wearer when walking orrunning. The forces acting on the midsole during these activities tendto be directed vertically and in a forward and aft direction relative tothe article of footwear. Midsoles are designed to return predictable andconsistent cushioning comfort and support when encountering such forces.Exemplar midsoles and uppers are shown in U.S. Patent ApplicationPublication No. US2005/0267775A1, the entire disclosure of which ishereby incorporated by reference.

SUMMARY

Despite the benefits of known articles of footwear, there remains a needfor an article of footwear that is stylish and can easily be put on andtaken off, particularly by physically challenged or physicallyconstrained individuals.

The advantages and features of novelty characterizing aspects of theinvention are pointed out with particularity in the claims. To gain animproved understanding of the advantages and features of novelty,however, reference may be made to the following descriptive matter andaccompanying figures that describe and illustrate various configurationsand concepts related to the invention.

The terms “invention,” “the invention,” “this invention” and “thepresent invention” as used herein are intended to refer broadly to allof the subject matter described in this document and to the claims.Statements containing these terms should be understood not to limit thesubject matter described herein or to limit the meaning or scope of theclaims. Embodiments of the invention covered by this patent are definedby the claims and not by this summary. This summary is a high-leveloverview of various aspects of the invention and introduces some of theconcepts that are further described in the Detailed Description sectionbelow. This summary is not intended to identify key, required, oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used in isolation to determine the scope of the claimed subjectmatter. The subject matter should be understood by reference toappropriate portions of the entire specification of this patent, to anyor all drawings, and to each claim.

In one embodiment, the invention is directed to an article of footwearhaving features intended to facilitate use by an individual withphysical constraints; such an article of footwear may include an upperand a sole structure secured to the upper. The upper may include a rigidwall that substantially encircles an outer edge of the sole structure todefine an unobstructed foot receiving portion therein, and a flapportion positionable over a forefoot portion of the article of footwear,which is pivotally secured to the rigid wall of the upper at a firstedge and detachably securable to the rigid wall of the upper along aportion of the remaining edge, thereby defining an open position whenthe flap portion is pivoted out of the way to reveal a sufficientportion of the foot receiving portion to enable a user to directly placetheir foot into the article of footwear without encountering anobstruction requiring a sliding or similar motion, and a closed positonwherein the flap portion extends over the foot receiving portion.

In a further embodiment, the invention is directed to an article offootwear including an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper.The upper may include a lower upper including a rigid rim substantiallyencircling an outer edge of the sole structure and extending upwardlyfrom the outer edge of the sole structure to a topline of the upperthereby defining an unobstructed and firm chamber therein surrounded bythe rim for receiving a foot of a wearer. The lower upper may includefour sides, such as a medial side, lateral side, forefoot side, and heelside, and a topline. The upper may further include a flap roofing thechamber having medial side, lateral side, and forefoot side and the flapon the medial side is pivotally secured to the topline of the upper onthe medial side, and the lateral side and forefoot side of the flapbeing detachably secured on the topline of the upper on the lateral sideand forefoot side, thereby defining an opening position by flipping upthe flap on the lateral side toward the medial side and closing positionby returning the flap on the lateral side toward the lateral side.

In a still further embodiment, the invention is directed to a shoeincluding an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper. The uppermay include a lower upper including a rigid rim substantially encirclingan outer edge of the sole structure and extending upwardly from theouter edge of the sole structure thereby defining an unobstructed andfirm chamber for receiving a foot of a wearer and a flap attached to thelower upper by a securing means that enables the flap pivotally open andclose by opening and closing the securing means,

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentto one of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the detaileddescription of the present invention and the included figures,

FIGURE DESCRIPTIONS

The foregoing Summary and the following Detailed Description will bebetter understood when read in conjunction with the accompanyingfigures.

FIGS. 1-4 show various views of an article of footwear having a hingedupper portion that is pivotally secured on one side and detachablysecurable on its opposite side forming a possible forefoot flap havingan open position (FIG. 3) and a closed position (FIGS. 1, 2 and 4) inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 5-7 show various views of the article of footwear in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 8A-8E show a possible method of using the article of footwear ofFIG. 1 to place the article of footwear on a wearer's foot. It can beappreciated that reversing the steps shown allow for easy removal of thearticle of footwear from the wearer's foot; and

FIGS. 9 and 10 show alternative possible embodiments of the article offootwear having a hinged upper portion that is pivotally secured towardthe toe portion of the upper, in accordance with an alternativedisclosed embodiment

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject matter of embodiments of the present invention are describedherein with specificity to meet statutory requirements, but thisdescription is not necessarily intended to limit the scope of theclaims. The claimed subject matter may be embodied in other ways, mayinclude different materials, elements or steps, and may be used inconjunction with other existing or future technologies. This descriptionshould not be interpreted as implying or requiring any particular orderor arrangement among or between various steps or elements except whenthe order of individual steps or arrangement of elements is explicitlydescribed.

Embodiments of the invention will be described more fully hereinafterwith reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof,and which show, by way of illustration, exemplary embodiments by whichthe invention may be practiced. This invention may, however, be embodiedin many different forms and should not be construed as limited to theembodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided sothat this disclosure will satisfy the statutory requirements and conveythe scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

The following discussion and accompanying figures disclose variousconfigurations of foam midsoles. Concepts associated with the midsolemay be applied to a wide range of athletic footwear styles, includingbasketball shoes, cross-training shoes, football shoes, golf shoes,hiking shoes and boots, ski and snowboarding boots, soccer shoes, tennisshoes, and walking shoes, for example. Concepts associated with theupper may also be utilized with footwear styles that are generallyconsidered to be for non-athletic purposes, including dress shoes, andloafers.

General Footwear Structure

An article of footwear 10 is depicted in FIGS. 1-10 as including anupper 20 and a sole structure 30. For reference purposes, the footwear10 may be divided into three general regions: a forefoot region 11, amidfoot region 12, and a heel region 13, as shown in FIG. 2, Footwear 10also includes a lateral side 14 and a medial side 15, as shown in FIG.2. Forefoot region 11 generally includes portions of footwear 10corresponding with the toes and the foot joints connecting themetatarsals with the phalanges. Midfoot region 12 generally includesportions of footwear 10 corresponding with the arch area of the foot.Heel region 13 generally includes portions of footwear 10 correspondingwith rear portions of the foot, including the calcaneus bone. Lateralside 14 and medial side 15 extend through each of regions 11-13 andcorrespond with opposite sides of footwear 10. Regions 11-13 and sides14-15 are not intended to demarcate precise areas of footwear 10.Rather, regions 11- 13 and sides 14-15 are intended to represent generalareas of footwear 10 to aid in the following discussion. In addition tofootwear 10, regions 11-13 and sides 14-15 may also be discussed withrespect to the individual elements thereof, such as upper 20 and solestructure 30, as shown in FIG. 1, and to the foot itself.

Upper 20 is depicted as having a substantially conventionalconfiguration incorporating a variety of material elements (e.g., one ormore of textile, foam, leather, or synthetic leather) that are stitchedor adhesively bonded together to the sole structure 30 to form aninterior void for securely and comfortably receiving a foot. Thematerial elements may be selected and located with respect to upper 20in order to selectively impart one or more properties of durability,air-permeability, wear-resistance, flexibility, and comfort, forexample. An ankle opening 21 in heel region 13 provides access to theinterior void of the footwear.

Sole structure 30 is secured to upper 20 and has a configuration thatextends between upper 20 and the ground. In effect, therefore, solestructure 30 is located so as to extend between the foot and the ground.In addition to attenuating ground reaction forces (i.e., providingcushioning for the foot), sole structure 30 may provide traction, impartstability, and limit various foot motions, such as pronation.

The primary elements of sole structure 30 are a midsole 31 and anoutsole 32, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. Midsole 31 may include afluid-filled chamber. In addition, midsole 31 may incorporate one ormore additional footwear structures or other elements that enhance thecomfort, performance, or ground reaction force attenuation properties offootwear 10; these may include, but are not limited to, a polymer foammaterial, such as polyurethane or ethylvinylacetate, plates, moderators,lasting elements, or motion control members. Outsole 32, which may beabsent in some configurations of footwear 10, is secured to a lowersurface of midsole 31 and may be formed from a rubber material thatprovides a durable and wear-resistant surface for engaging the ground.In addition, outsole 32 may be textured to enhance the traction (i.e.,friction) properties between footwear 10 and the ground. Sole structure30 may also incorporate an insole or sockliner that is located withinthe void in upper 20 and adjacent (i.e., located nearby or close to,although not necessarily in contact with) a plantar surface or lowersurface of the wearer's foot to enhance the comfort of footwear 10.Given that various aspects of the present application primarily relateto the upper 20, the sole structure 30 may exhibit the generalconfiguration discussed above or the general configuration of anotherconventional or nonconventional sole structure. Accordingly, the overallstructure of sole structure 30 may vary significantly.

Midsole Configuration

Referring to FIG. 2, the midsole 31 has a forefoot region 11, a midfootregion 12, a heel region 13, a lateral side 14, and a medial side 15. Anouter edge 50, as shown in FIG. 1, encircles the midsole 31 and conformsto the overall footprint of the article of footwear 10, thereby defininga forefoot outer edge region 52, a medial outer edge region 54, alateral outer edge region 56, and a heel outer edge region 58. Themidsole 31 may be formed from a compressible polymer foam element (e.g.,a polyurethane or ethylvinylacetate foam) that attenuates groundreaction forces (i.e., provides cushioning) when compressed between thefoot and the ground during walking, running, or other ambulatoryactivities. Note that a midsole 31 having these basic properties may beformed with conventional molding technologies, such as blow molding orthe like.

Hinged Upper Flap

As best shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8A, and 8B, the upper 20 mayinclude a hinged flap 100 that preferably is extendable over theforefoot 11 and midfoot 12 portions of the article of footwear 10. Theflap 100 is preferably pivotally secured on one side of the article offootwear or otherwise rigidly secured, allowing a flap portion of movebetween an open position 110, as shown in FIGS. 3, 7, 8A and 8B, and aclosed position shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 5 and 6. In one embodiment, theflap 100 is partially secured on the outer edge 50 of the medial side15.

The upper 20 along the outer edge 50 through the forefoot region 11,midfoot region 12, and rear region 13, preferably of the sole structure30, may include walls 120, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, extending upwardvertically from the sole structure 30 and that define a foot receivingchamber 130 therein, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 7. It can be appreciatedthat with the flap portion 100 in the open position 110, the footreceiving chamber 130 is fully exposed as best shown in FIGS. 3, 7, and8A to allow a wearer's foot to be placed into and received in anunobstructed manner, that is without requiring the foot to be slippedthrough an opening.

The remaining edge of the flap 100 that does not define the pivotpreferably includes an attachment structure 142, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3,5, 6, and 7 for detachably securing the edge of the flap portion to thewalls of the upper. More preferably, the attachment structure 142 is aslide fastener, such as a zipper, Velcro®, buttons, or the like, thatincludes a pull 140, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 4, 5, 8C, 8D, and 8E, thatis easily graspable by a physically challenged individual. In oneembodiment, a zipper may be the attachment structure 142 and may use orincorporate a variety of shapes of pull 140, including a loop pull whichallows a wearer to hook a finger inside of the loop to operate thezipper to open and close. In a further embodiment, the pull 140 may bemade of metal, string, rubber, plastic, or other materials, and anycombination thereof.

The wall 120, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, may be constructed of at leastsome rigid materials so that the wall 120 is reinforced. The rigid rimand wall 120 enable the wearer's foot to stay in place without slippingwhile a wearer closes the flap 100, as shown in FIGS. 8B, 8C, and 8D.This is particularly beneficial for wearers with disabilities, limiteddexterity, physical constraints, or other limitations on their mobilityas they may need to grab, pull or adjust the attachment structure,especially a zipper, several times in different directions until itcompletely closes. For the toe area, a toe puff (not shown) may beincorporated inside of the wall 120. A heel counter (not shown) may beused to create the rigid rim 120 around the heel.

The wall 120 may be formed between a topline 58, as shown in FIGS. 5 and6, of the upper 20 and the outer edge 50 and the attachment structure142 may be attached on the topline 58 of the upper 20. In oneembodiment, a zipper being used as the attachment structure 142 may bepositioned on the topline 58 of the upper 20. The starting point 144, asshown in FIGS. 2 and 6, of the zipper may be at the forefoot outer edgeregion 52, where a base of a toe of a wearer's foot is usually located.The zipper may run along the topline 58 around the toe area and end atthe midway 146, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 5, of the medial outer edgeregion 52, where a base of a wearer's ankle is located. When the zipperis located at the open position as shown in FIGS. 3, 7, 8A, and 8B, nostructure of the footwear obstructs the foot of a wearer as they placetheir foot into receiving chamber 130. Further, the toe area may besurrounded by the walls 120 due to the position of the attachmentstructure 142, which does not obstruct or touch the toe of the wearer.

To assist a wearer further, the attachment structure 142 may be curvedupwardly toward the standing or seated wearer so that the wearer mayhave a smoother and easier grasp of the attachment structure 142 and onethat is oriented more naturally with the pulling motion of the wearer asthe wearer is closing the attachment structure 142, as shown in FIGS. 1and 5.

Use and Operation

Referring to FIGS. 8A-8E, a method of easily placing the article offootwear 10 on a wearer's foot is shown. In FIG. 8A, the wearer placesthe flap 100 of the upper 20 into an open position 110 and places his orher foot near the article of footwear 10. FIG. 8B shows the wearerplacing his or her foot into the exposed foot receiving chamber 130 ofthe article of footwear 10 unobstructed with the flap 100 still in itsopen position.

In FIG. 8C, the wearer releases the flap 100 and grasps the slidefastener pull 140. The wearer then slides the slide fastener 142 aroundthe front of the article of footwear to secure the flap to the upperwalls as shown in FIG. 8D.

The wearer releases the pull 140 when the slide fastener 142 secures theflap 100 over the forefoot of the wearer as shown in FIG. 8E. It can beappreciated that the wearer can easily remove the article of footwear 10by reversing the foregoing steps.

As a result, a physically challenged wearer of footwear can easily puton and take off their footwear. Moreover, the upper including the flapportion can be configured and styled to look like conventional footwearsuch as loafers, hi-tops, or boat shoes that are aesthetically appealingto wearers without calling attention to the unique fastening system.

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, an alternative embodiment of the flap 100is shown. It is pivotally secured toward the toe portion of the articleof footwear and provides lateral and medial slide fasteners todetachably secure the flap 100 of the upper as shown.

The invention is disclosed above and in the accompanying figures withreference to a variety of configurations. The purpose served by thedisclosure, however, is to provide an example of various features andconcepts related to the invention, not to limit the scope of theinvention. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that numerousvariations and modifications may be made to the configurations describedabove without departing from the scope of the present invention, asdefined by the appended claims.

All references, including publications, patent applications, andpatents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the sameextent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicatedto be incorporated by reference and/or were set forth in its entiretyherein.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in thespecification and in the following claims are to be construed to coverboth the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein orclearly contradicted by context. The terms “having,” “including,”“containing” and similar referents in the specification and in thefollowing claims are to be construed as open-ended terms (e.g., meaning“including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. Recitation ofranges of values herein are merely indented to serve as a shorthandmethod of referring individually to each separate value inclusivelyfalling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and eachseparate value is incorporated into the specification as if it wereindividually recited herein. All methods described herein can beperformed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein orclearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, orexemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merelyto better illuminate embodiments of the invention and does not pose alimitation to the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. Nolanguage in the specification should be construed as indicating anynon-claimed element as essential to each embodiment of the presentinvention.

Different arrangements of the components depicted in the drawings ordescribed above, as well as components and steps not shown or describedare possible. Similarly, some features and sub-combinations are usefuland may be employed without reference to other features andsub-combinations. Embodiments of the invention have been described forillustrative and not restrictive purposes, and alternative embodimentswill become apparent to readers of this patent. Accordingly, the presentinvention is not limited to the embodiments described above or depictedin the drawings, and various embodiments and modifications can be madewithout departing from the scope of the claims below.

That which is claimed is:
 1. An article of footwear having an upper anda sole structure secured to the upper, the upper having a rigid wallthat substantially encircles an outer edge of the sole structure todefine an unobstructed foot receiving portion therein, and a flapportion positionable over a forefoot portion of the article of footwear,the flap being pivotally secured to the rigid wall of the upper at afirst edge and detachably securable to the rigid wall of the upper alonga portion of the remaining edge, thereby defining an open position whenthe flap portion is pivoted out of the way to reveal a sufficientportion of the foot receiving portion to enable a user to directly placetheir foot into the article of footwear without encountering anobstruction requiring a sliding or similar motion, and a closed positonwherein the flap portion extends over the foot receiving portion.
 2. Thearticle of footwear of claim 1, wherein the flap is detachably securableto the wall with at least one of fastener, button, and/or Velcro®. 3.The article of footwear of claim 2, wherein the fastener is a slidefastener.
 4. The article of footwear of claim 3, wherein the slidefastener is a zipper.
 5. The article of footwear of claim 4, furthercomprising: a zipper pull being attached to the zipper and shaped asloop.
 6. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structuresecured to the upper, the upper comprising: a lower upper having a rigidrim substantially encircling an outer edge of the sole structure andextending upwardly from the outer edge of the sole structure to atopline of the upper thereby defining an unobstructed and firm chambertherein surrounded by the rim for receiving a foot of a wearer, thelower upper having four sides comprising a medial side, lateral side,forefoot side, and heel side, and a topline; and a flap roofing thechamber having medial side, lateral side, and forefoot side, the flap onthe medial side being pivotally secured to the topline of the upper onthe medial side, the lateral side and forefoot side of the flap beingdetachably secured on the topline of the upper on the lateral side andforefoot side, thereby defining an opening position by flipping up theflap on the lateral side toward the medial side and closing position byreturning the flap on the lateral side toward the lateral side.
 7. Thefootwear of claim 6, wherein the flap is detachably secured to the lowerupper with at least one of zipper, button, and Velcro®.
 8. The footwearof claim 7, further comprising: the zipper being attached on the toplineof the upper running between the medial side and the lateral sidethereby the flap is detachably secured to the lower upper when thezipper being closed.
 9. The footwear of claim 7, further comprising: apull attached to the zipper.
 10. The footwear of claim 8, wherein thepull is shaped as a loop.
 11. The footwear of claim 8, wherein thezipper at the end of the lateral side is curved upwardly.
 12. Thefootwear of claim 6, further comprising: a toe puff enforcement forcomfort attached inside of the wall at the forefoot side of the lowerupper.
 13. The footwear of claim 6, further comprising: a heel counterenforcement for firmness attached inside of the wall at the heel side ofthe lower upper.
 14. A shoe having an upper and a sole structure securedto the upper, the upper comprising: a lower upper having a rigid rimsubstantially encircling an outer edge of the sole structure andextending upwardly from the outer edge of the sole structure therebydefining an unobstructed and firm chamber for receiving a foot of awearer; and a flap attached to the lower upper by a securing means thatenables the flap pivotally open and close by opening and closing thesecuring means.
 15. The shoe of claim 14, wherein the flap is attachedto the lower upper with at least one of zipper, button, and Velcro®. 16.The shoe of claim 15, further comprising: the zipper being attached onthe upper; and a pull attached to the zipper.
 17. The shoe of claim 16,wherein the pull is shaped as a loop.
 18. The shoe of claim 15, whereinthe zipper at the end of the lateral side is curved upwardly.
 19. Theshoe of claim 14, further comprising: a toe puff enforcement for comfortattached inside of the wall.
 20. The shoe of claim 14, furthercomprising: a heel counter enforcement for firmness attached inside ofthe wall.